First Published Jan 6, 2022, 4:28 PM IST
കDecision to send Russian-led troops to control unrest in Kazakhstan Rebellion. Meanwhile, there is reports of more than 350 people in the clash between the protest and the police. Security forces in Kazakhstan have killed several protesters during a move to restore order in the main city of Almaty. Police spokesperson said that the police step was to try to take control of police stations in the city. Protesters set fire to several government buildings across the country and set several vehicles on fire.
Late last year, the government lifted controls on oil prices in Kazakhstan. Following this, oil prices soared. In early January this year, oil prices doubled, forcing people to take to the streets.
The trouble started in Zhanaozen, in the western part of Kazakhstan. Sanosen is the city that emerged from the energy boom in Kazakhstan. It mainly employs fuel related workers. Sanosen is a city where 160,000 new jobs have been created in recent years.
Naturally, as workers in Sanoson took to the streets, people in all major cities across the country took to the streets in protest. The police surrender and cities surround the police to replace the protests. Dozens of people, including security forces, were killed in the ensuing clashes, police sources said.
But there are no clear figures on how many were killed. The BBC reports that about 1,000 people were injured in the riots, 400 in hospital and 62 in intensive care.
In the wake of the uprising, Prime Minister Askar Mamin has announced that he will reconsider his decision to lift oil prices and cancel the current price hike. But the people were not ready to trust the government. With this the riot spread to more places. More deaths were reported.
With this, Prime Minister Askar Mamin announced his resignation and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the resignation of the government. But the street riots did not subside. Following this, the President of Kazakhstan sought the help of Russia to control the riots in the country.
Kazakhstan is also a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a coalition of Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. With this, the Collective Security Treaty Organization was ready to maintain law and order in the Allies.
The CSTO also confirmed that Russian paratroopers were being sent as peacekeepers. There are also reports that military units have already been deployed. Russian media have released a video of the army boarding a plane bound for Kazakhstan.
With the deregulation of oil prices, the price of liquefied petroleum gas used in vehicles plummeted on New Year’s Day. The sudden rise in prices has doubled, forcing people to take to the streets. Workers were reportedly leaving their vehicles parked on the street. Riots then erupted in some cities.
But President Qasim-Jomar Tokayev blamed foreign-trained “terrorist groups” for the country’s trouble. Failing to quell the riots, he declared a state of emergency in the country. Curfew and mass rallies were banned.
President Tokyo said he had sought help from the CSTO to maintain law and order. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, chairman of the CSTO, has confirmed that he will send peacekeepers “for a limited time”.
President Tokayev is the second person to lead Kazakhstan since Kazakhstan declared independence in 1991. His election in 2019 was condemned by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for allegedly lacking respect for democratic norms.
As the riots spread, internet and phone services were reportedly limited in many cities across the country. Therefore, the foreign media reports that accurate information about what is happening in many cities is not available.
Almaty police spokesman Saltanat Azirbek urged people in the city to stay at home as the “counter-terrorism” operation continues in the administrative buildings. There are also unconfirmed reports that dozens of assailants were killed after police tried to attack buildings in the city.
The police accused the rioters stole the arms. Witnesses said they heard gunshots from the building and saw smoke rising. It is reported that the staff at the main airport in Kazakhstan fled.
Water cannons were fired at protesters in the western city of Aktobe. But in some cities, security forces and protesters were reported to have joined forces to riot. The statues of former dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ruled the country until 2019, were reportedly smashed by the people.
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